Tragedy: Caroline Wooler, of Thetford, Norfolk, died on the A1066 at nearby Riddlesworth on December 14 last year, an inquest has heard

Council bosses have made a grovelling apology to the family of a 27-year-old woman who was killed in a car crash after bungling gritters failed to salt an icy road.

Caroline Wooler, of Thetford, Norfolk, died on the A1066 at nearby Riddlesworth on December 14 last year, an inquest heard.

She was driving to work at the Morrisons store in Diss when she lost control of her car and smashed into a tree as temperatures plunged.

Tracy Jessop, Norfolk County Council's assistant manager for highways and transport, last night said the authority, which grits 2,000 miles of road on each run, was 'eternally sorry' that 'any action of ours was in any way a contributing factor'.

She said: 'The route that was not gritted represents half a per cent of our network - but that doesn't make any less of this accident.

'A young woman has lost her life and there are a lot of people who miss her and we are profoundly sorry.'

The inquest heard that a 4.3-mile stretch of the A1066 - beginning at Shadwell - had not been gritted because of changes to the council's route made late last year.

Matt Worden, the council's maintenance project manager, told the inquest that in October drivers had raised worries that changes to routes would leave them pressured for time.

Mr Worden said the length of road, described as 'white' by a witness during the inquest, was moved from one run to another - but the message did not get through.

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He said: 'Unfortunately, although the instruction to not grit that section on route 17 was given, the instruction that route 18 would grit that section was not confirmed.

'Therefore from the 29th October the route had not been gritted.'

And a tracker fitted to one of the gritting trucks, which could have told if the road was being tackled, was not working, the Norwich hearing was told.

A police investigation found Miss Wooler lost control as her car swerved to the right and hit a tree stump, sending it spinning into three trees.

Sorry: Council bosses have made a grovelling apology to the 27-year-old's family after bungling gritters failed to salt an icy road. Ms Wooler was driving to work when she lost control of her car and smashed into a tree

Officers found she was wearing a seat belt, was not using a mobile phone and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The council has now imposed a raft of policy changes, including only adapting routes during the summer, with a cut-off at the end of July to avoid last-minute changes.

Assistant coroner for Norfolk, Johanna Thompson, recorded that Miss Wooler died as a result of a road traffic collision.

Ms Wooler's devastated family last night paid tribute to a 'kind and generous' aunt, saying the seven months since her death had been 'very, very hard'.

Her older sister, Clare Deabill, said: 'She wasn't just a sister to me, she was my best friend, so I feel like I've lost both.

Tracy Jessop, assistant manager for highways and transport at Norfolk County Council (pictured), said the authority, which grits 2,000 miles of road on each run, was 'eternally sorry' for the death of Caroline Wooler, 27

'We used to meet up all the time and did everything together. Caroline was a great auntie to my two children.

'She was always taking them out and they thought the world of her.'

Mrs Deabill said the family was still trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

The mother-of-two added: 'Losing her was just numbing, totally numbing. We are just all in complete shock.

A young woman has lost her life and there are a lot of people who miss her and we are profoundly sorry